


#StarSpangledHickey

by TheWinterSldier



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Fluff and Crack, Funny, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, everyone is happy and nothing hurts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-21 14:49:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7391575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWinterSldier/pseuds/TheWinterSldier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically Steve goes on TV with a hickey Bucky left on his neck.</p><p>Bucky gets a call about "destruction of government property".</p><p>He finds it hilarious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	#StarSpangledHickey

Days without Steve were usually boring.

Bucky hadn’t been psychologically cleared to go out into the field yet. The doctors had said he was _‘volatile’_ and _‘emotionally and mentally unstable’_ and _‘one late night away from a killing spree’_. He couldn’t really disagree with that last one. Since finally being acquitted of all the things he had been made to do as the Winter Soldier, Bucky had grown to really cherish sleep.

The nightmares were pretty awful, but the sleeping pills he had been prescribed allowed him to sleep dreamlessly most nights. It also helped when Steve was there, curled up around him in bed or splayed out beside him taking up much more than his half of the mattress with one arm draped over Bucky.

Sometimes, when Steve was off on missions or doing press conferences, Natasha would come over and keep him company. Sam would come too, usually bearing pizza and beer that did absolutely nothing to Bucky because of the serum. But they would have fun, and it would keep his mind off missing Steve.

Unfortunately, Natasha and Sam were also off with Steve on some big press conference. As were all the other Avengers who were secondary friends to Bucky.

It had only been about four hours since Bucky had last seen Steve, and given him a very extensive goodbye, but he already missed him. But the press conference would be televised, and it would have started already. Steve always assured Bucky that he didn’t have to watch the conferences. They would be talking about the boring details of battles like laws and truces, and Bucky didn’t have to worry about that stuff until he was cleared to join the team.

Stark wasn’t particularly happy about the idea of him joining, but everyone else liked the idea. Tony had been furious at the beginning at the mere suggestion. He had been civil towards Bucky, after Bucky was acquitted and Tony reluctantly agreed that it hadn’t been his fault his parents had died. But there was always tension between them both, and they could never be left alone in a room together.

He had yelled and threatened Bucky, then Steve, and refused to even entertain the idea of Bucky joining the team. But to Bucky’s surprise, every other person on the team had backed Bucky up. They all tried to rationalise with Tony, convince him that Bucky would be a valuable member of the team. He was a top class sniper and highly trained in the use of so many different weapons, as well as hand-to-hand combat. He was a brilliant strategist, and he was so used to having to find a way out of the catastrophe that some of Steve’s ‘great’ ideas turned to, that he was an expert in logical improvisation too.

But none of that convinced Stark, because Stark still didn’t trust Bucky, and he could never be part of a team with someone he couldn’t trust. He admitted then that he still wasn’t convinced that all the bad Bucky had done was forced on him. To be fair to him, the trial had been mostly closed so he hadn’t heard Bucky’s accounts of what had happened to him, and even if he did he probably wouldn’t just take Bucky’s word for it. And Bucky hadn’t exactly been open about his past experiences.

At some point, the conversation had turned from just Tony yelling to Steve yelling at him too, then Thor trying to calm them and only really adding to the noise and aggravation in the room. Eventually, everyone was yelling, even Bucky. Everyone except Wanda and Bruce (who had retreated to his room at some point). In fact, it was Wanda who managed to persuade Stark that Bucky was truly a victim, that he had suffered and was not at fault for what he had done.

She had asked Bucky’s permission first, then shared with Tony some of the scattered memories Bucky had of the torture he had suffered through.

Stark hadn’t spoken after that, had left the room and avoided everyone for a few days. But then he had relented and agreed that Bucky was a victim. He then even more reluctantly agreed that Bucky would be a good addition to their team after watching footage of him with Steve ‘back in the day’.

After that, Tony and Bucky had been a little closer. Not friends, but they could be alone together and have casual conversations or watch TV together without anyone worrying that they’d come back to a dead body. Or two.

Bucky would settle for spending time with Tony right now, if only it would distract him from missing Steve, but even he was at the conference. As was Ms Potts.

He eventually gave up trying to refrain himself and turned the TV on, quickly finding the news channel broadcasting the Avengers. Steve was sat in the middle of the long table, between Tony and Natasha. Scott was talking at the minute, a few seats down the line, about why he decided to join the Avengers. Most of his answer sounded rehearsed, and Bucky guessed it probably was. If he was allowed to say whatever he wanted, he would tell the truth. That he joined the Avengers because it sounded cool, also his daughter idolised the Avengers and Scott would do anything to keep that sparkling adoration in Cassie’s eyes aimed at him.

Bucky didn’t really pay attention to the words, not even when Steve started speaking. It didn’t matter what he was saying, it was the sound of his voice that soothed Bucky. He grabbed his book and started reading as Steve’s voice continued in the background. Occasionally, Steve’s voice switched with Tony’s or Clint’s, or someone else’s. But it didn’t really matter. Steve’s voice always came back.

Eventually the conference ended, but Bucky knew that didn’t mean Steve would be coming home soon. They still had a few interviews to go, but they were for magazines and so they wouldn’t be televised. But by that point, Bucky was relaxed and calm enough to just keep reading.

Until his phone rang.

Tony had set his ringtone to the Game of Thrones theme tune after really wearing down the whole ‘ _Winter is coming_ ’ joke, and Bucky had tried to change it once but had given up pretty quickly and just accepted it. Seeing that it didn’t bother him seemed to really grate at Tony, and that was worth it.

“Hello?” Bucky said, a little suspicious when he saw the unknown number on his screen.

“Good evening, Mr Barnes. My name is Kyle Jessup and I’m from…”

Bucky wasn’t really listening enough to know where he was from, he just wanted to know why he was calling, and simply waited in silence until the man on the other end continued. He sounded a little unnerved by the silence when he did continue.

“I’m… Calling about some destruction of government property we believe you may have been… Involved in…”

Bucky squinted at nothing in confusion and sighed down the phone. “Listen. I haven’t left my apartment in three days. What could I have possibly done? Unless Steve’s blender is government property, I haven’t destroyed anything of yours.”

“Well… It’s not really _destroyed_ … And it’s only minor…” The man began again awkwardly, and Bucky just waited for him to explain. “Captain Rogers had a… bruise on his neck. It was visible when he was in uniform… And that constitutes as destruction of government property…”

Bucky remained silent for a few more seconds as he thought about what the man had said. He thought back to the goodbye he had given Steve and where exactly Steve’s skin was exposed when he was in uniform… Then the jigsaw pieces fell into place. And he practically _screamed_ with laughter. He heard the man hiss in discomfort at the loud noise, but Bucky didn’t care.

The destruction of government property he was referring to was the hickey Bucky had left on Steve’s neck that morning. He couldn’t stop laughing.

After a quick _“Please don’t do that again”_ from the man on the phone, which Bucky did _not_ agree to, they hung up and Bucky continued to laugh for another few minutes. He couldn’t wait to see Steve’s reaction to this.

* * *

“Honey! I’m home!” Steve called out when he finally walked through the door.

He looked exhausted, public stuff like this always took it out of Steve when it went on for so long. But as soon as Bucky poked his head up from where he was laying on the couch to smile at him, Steve smiled back and his whole face seemed to light up with it.

It almost made Bucky forget about what he was going to tease him about. Almost.

“Hey, Punk.” Bucky grinned as he got off the couch to meet Steve at the door and pull him into a kiss with a hand on the back of his neck.

Steve chuckled quietly as he kissed Bucky back, his hands on Bucky’s waist. They eventually separated, and Bucky grinned. Steve smiled too, but only for a second. He must have seen something else in Bucky’s smile, something that made him nervous.

“What…? What are you smiling at?”

Bucky’s eyes dropped to Steve’s neck, and there it was. At least 70% of the hickey could be seen above the collar of Steve’s uniform, but he quickly looked back up at Steve’s eyes so he wouldn’t notice.

“How about I show you?” He smirked again and took Steve’s hand, leading him to the bedroom.

Steve smiled again, but Bucky was sure he had the wrong idea. Steve assumed there would be a repeat of this morning, and though that may not be completely off the table, there was something else Bucky wanted to do first.

The blond immediately headed towards the bed, but Bucky tugged on his hand to lead him to the full length mirror on the wardrobe instead. He pushed Steve on front of the mirror and stood behind him, his hands on Steve’s shoulders and his chin resting on top of his flesh hand. He could see the pure look of confusion of Steve’s face, and Bucky couldn’t wait to see it morph.

“See anything out of the ordinary?”

Steve’s eyes darted across his own body in the mirror, probably checking to see if his fly was down first, then checking to make sure the rest of his uniform was in order. His eyes then moved up to his hair, then over his own face, and finally to Bucky’s face to see if there was something about _him_ that Steve hadn’t noticed. But he still looked confused.

“No… What is it?”

Bucky laughed quietly and pressed a kiss just below Steve’s ear, then down half an inch to press his lips to the dark bruise there. When he pulled back, Steve saw it, and his eyes widened.

“Was that… When I was on TV could people see that?”

Bucky laughed again and nodded as he rested his head on top of his hand on Steve’s shoulder again. Then, Steve spun around to face him.

“Why didn’t you tell me before I left? Why didn’t the others tell me?” He sounded annoyed, but Bucky knew just how to change that.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t notice until I got an interesting phone call…”

“Natasha?” Steve groaned, but Bucky shook his head.

“Someone from the government. To scold me for _‘destruction of government property’”_ Bucky explained with another laugh, and Steve blushed.

He stared at Bucky for another few seconds, completely dumbfounded, as if he was trying to figure out if Bucky was kidding or not. When it was clear that he wasn’t, Steve really did try not to laugh. It was clear how much effort he was putting into trying to stay serious. But it didn’t last long. After only a few seconds, Steve started laughing. The same kind of laugh Bucky had released when he first found out, and tears were in Steve’s eyes when he eventually stopped. His cheeks were flushed too, and at some point he had ran his hand through his hair, messing it up a little.

“They called it a minor destruction.” Bucky explained with a chuckle, then he moved his hands up to cup Steve’s face and pull him in for another kiss. “But now that they’ve told me not to do it, I want to do some _serious_ damage.”

He smirked as Steve’s eyes widened slightly, then turned them so that he could push Steve onto the bed.

 _‘Government property’._ No. Bucky was going to make sure that everyone who saw Steve for the next few days knew exactly whose property he was.

* * *

Three hours later and even with their serum, Steve and Bucky decided they needed a break. While Steve showered, Bucky sprawled out naked on top of the mattress, his hair a mess and his own neck and chest marked with the same bruises Steve had sported on TV. As well as some fingertip-shaped ones on Bucky’s hips and legs. Once he was able to catch his breath and was sure that he wouldn’t fall asleep, Bucky picked up his smartphone to check a few social media accounts. He ignored the notifications he had, and instead checked the trending events on Twitter.

What he saw made him grin. “Hey, Steve! Guess what’s trending!”

He could hear Steve groan from the bathroom, then come out in just his towel to see what Bucky was talking about. He must have sensed by Bucky’s tone that it wouldn’t be something Steve would enjoy. Steve groaned again and Bucky laughed harder as he scrolled through the pictures of the conference everyone had posted under the trending hashtag, zoomed into the bruise on his neck.

_#StarSpangledHickey_


End file.
